iHeartMedia and Turner Announce Return of iHeartRadio Music Awards

Airing Live on TBS, TNT and truTV Sunday, March 11, 2018

iHeartMedia and Turner have announced the return of the iHeartRadio Music Awards to the historic, “fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 11, 2018, at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT). The event will once again be simulcast live on Turner’s TBS, TNT and truTV; on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide; and on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital music and live streaming radio service.

Now in its fifth year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards is a star-studded event celebrating the most played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations throughout 2017 and a preview of the upcoming hits of 2018. The show will feature live performances from the biggest artists in music, surprise duets and collaborations, and personal artist stories of how the biggest songs of the year came to life. Since the awards’ inception, the lineup has included live performances and appearances by such superstar artists as Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Big Sean, Rihanna, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Blake Shelton, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Pitbull, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and others.

In addition to celebrating music and artists, the iHeartRadio Music Awards celebrates the fans, millions of whom cast their votes for the winners through social media. The 2017 awards show scored tremendous audience growth for TBS, TNT and truTV, reaching a total of 9.6 million viewers across multiple platforms, +6% over the prior year.

Ranking as one of the most talked-about television events in social media last year, the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards generated 165 billion impressions throughout the promotional period. It also proved its strength on individual platforms like Twitter, where it was the #1 trending topic in the United States and worldwide the night of the live simulcast. In addition, the iHeartRadio Music Awards won the night with the Nielsen Social Content Rating, finishing first ahead of The Walking Dead.

“We created the iHeartRadio Music Awards to celebrate the artists and songs we play every day across America on our more than 850 radio stations and the iHeartRadio App,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises for iHeartMedia. “This is the first ever awards show that is truly driven by fans and we found the perfect partner in Turner, with their deep programming assets and diverse audience reach that reflects our 265 million monthly listeners.”

“As this year’s simulcast on TBS, TNT & truTV demonstrated, the iHeartRadio Music Awards has everything you could want in a music awards special and more,” said Michael Bloom, senior vice president of unscripted series and specials for TBS and TNT. “It not only has the ability to attract and engage a huge number of fans across television, digital, mobile and social media platforms, but also gives those fans the opportunity to vote for their winners in several categories, making the whole night all the more exciting. We’re confident the iHeartRadio Music Awards will continue to grow in 2018.”

Among the many winners of the 2017 awards were Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” for Song of the Year, Adele for Female Artist of the Year, Justin Bieber for Male Artist of the Year, The Chainsmokers for Best New Artist presented by the all-new Subaru Impreza®, twenty one pilots for Best Duo/Group of the Year and Coldplay for Best Tour. In addition, Bruno Mars received the most prestigious award of the evening – the 2017 iHeartRadio Innovator Award – in recognition of his unparalleled contribution to popular culture and the music industry.

More information about the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards, including the award categories and ticket info, will be announced at a later date.